Intermittent Fasting: Which Type Is Most Effective?

The intermittent fasting? When done correctly it is beneficial: it can contribute to weight loss and bring a number of health benefits. To say it is a new research, which however specifies: not all types of fasting are the same. But some are more effective.

Intermittent fasting: what is it for –

Premise: not all of us can do it. Intermittent fasting affects metabolism and it is best to consult a doctor before practicing it. If we get the green light, there is good news: the combined results of a total of 130 clinical studies show that intermittent fasting could help reduce various risk factors associated with obesity:

• weight
• body mass index (BMI),
• body fat,
• “bad” cholesterol
• fasting blood sugar
• blood pressure

Intermittent fasting: which type works the most –

Not all fasts are created equal. According to the researchers, 2 specific types of intermittent fasting are most associated with significant weight loss and other health benefits.

• One, the so-called modified alternate day fasting, provides for the alternation of a day in which you eat regularly with the consumption of no more than 600 kcal the next day.
• The other, called Diet 5: 2, is similar, but provides 2 days a week of near-fasting or very low-calorie diet and 5 days of normal nutrition.
• Less advantageous would be the limited-time eating, which involves fasting for 12-18 hours a day and the fasting every other day at zero calories, in which no food is consumed every other day.

“Our findings support the role of intermittent fasting, particularly modified alternate day fasting, in adults with overweight or obesity as an approach to weight loss with other health benefits. But those who decide to follow him should consult his doctor first, ”says the lead author of the research, Chanthawat Patikorn, of Chulalongkorn University in Thailand.
But there is a hitch: most of the studies only lasted 3 months. “We still lack data to see if these could work in the long term. We see weight loss and improved metabolic profiles, but we still don’t know if intermittent fasting can lead to a reduction in death or cardiovascular events, ”says Patikorn.

The results of the study –

From the research, published in December 2021, therefore only two diets, modified alternate day fasting and 5: 2 have been associated with weight loss of 5% or more of total body weight in overweight or obese adults. And with the 5: 2 diet, weight loss lasted for 6 to 12 months. Modified alternate day fasting has also been associated with 2 to 12 month improvements in heart disease risk factors such as total cholesterol, “bad” cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure.

Intermittent fasting, what to watch out for –

While fairly complete, the research needs further confirmation. Until now, no one had compared the different types of intermittent diets, so for the scholars “the best type of intermittent fasting is the one that people can really stick to in the long term.” Always bearing in mind that i fasts in which nothing is consumed for long periods of time could pose a danger for those with diabetes and who use insulin or are otherwise prone to hypoglycemia.

January 08 2022 (change January 08 2022 | 10:55)

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